Scientists have discovered that a knife-like surgical device already in use to treat other types of cancer can be utilized in the diagnosis of endometrial cancer in mere seconds.

The revolutionary device, called iKnife, “smells tumors” and can help hundreds of ladies get rapid results and eschew weeks of tension. The expedited result can even assist in the early treatment of cancer patients.

The breakthrough got here from experts on the Imperial College London and their findings were published within the journal Cancer.

“The iKnife reliably diagnosed endometrial cancer in seconds, with a diagnostic accuracy of 89%, minimizing the present delays for girls whilst awaiting a histopathological diagnosis,” the team of researchers wrote within the paper. “The findings presented on this study can pave the way in which for brand spanking new diagnostic pathways.”

For the study, the researchers collected biopsy tissue samples from 150 women with suspected uterine cancer. Once the tissue sample is collected from the uterus for testing, iKnife uses electrical signals to research the smoke that’s released when the biopsy tissue is vaporized. Based on its results, the device differentiates between cancerous and healthy tissue.

The outcomes from the iKnife were compared with current diagnosis methods.

“With its high diagnostic accuracy of 89% and positive predictive value of 94%, one could immediately reassure the person of the very low likelihood of getting cancer if the iKnife result’s negative and expedite further tests and scans and treatment for people whose biopsies indicate the presence of cancer. This might occur whilst awaiting confirmation from standard pathology, which may take as much as two weeks,” Prof Sadaf Ghaem-Maghami, lead researcher at Imperial College London, said, reported The Guardian.

Only 10% of ladies who get their biopsies, suspecting womb cancer, are literally found to have it, as per the outlet. Quick diagnosis with iKnife will provide much-needed relief to the 90% of ladies, who don’t have the disease.

“Waiting for test results is stressful – especially if that test is to seek out out whether or not you could have cancer. Once you hear that the ‘c’ word is even a possibility, the times can’t pass quickly enough until a clinician gives you the all clear,” Athena Lamnisos, the chief executive of the Eve Appeal cancer charity, which funded the research, said. “Womb cancer has one ‘red flag’ symptom of postmenopausal bleeding that ought to at all times get checked out on a two-week referral out of your GP. To attend an extra two weeks for the outcomes could be really hard for patients.

The research team now plans to undertake a large-scale clinical trial to make diagnosis using iKnife a typical practice in the sector.

“The iKnife has the potential to completely revolutionize the way in which we manage people seen within the rapid-access clinics with significant abnormal vaginal bleeding who’ve been referred for potential diagnosis of endometrial cancer,” Ghaem-Maghami said.